2-580-892 - © CM Dixon/Heritage Images

The Rillaton Gold Cup, Early Bronze Age, 1700-1500BC, from Rillaton, Cornwall, England. Rillaton barrow was excavated in 1837 and found to contain an inhumation beneath the 25m wide barrow. The burial had been placed in a stone cist and human remains were discovered along with grave goods including a bronze dagger, beads, pottery, glass and other items. The burial also contained the Rillaton Gold Cup, a biconical gold vessel, 90mm high, with a handle attached with rivets. The cup resembles a late Neolithic ceramic beaker with corded decoration. The cup is of note due to its Aegean style metalwork of the period and resembles similar finds from the Greek site of Mycenae, suggesting cultural and trading links with the Eastern Mediterranean. The cup became lost after discovery but turned up years later in the dressing room of King George V as a receptacle for his collar studs. It is now on show the British Museum, next to the similar Ringlemere Cup, though it belongs to the Royal Collection. An exact copy may be seen in the Royal Cornwall Museum at Truro.